In the medical field, there are several different methods currently known for the treating and closing of wounds resulting from surgical incisions, lacerations, punctures and the like. Devices such as sutures, staples, skin tapes, and adhesives have been used when treating these different types of wounds. However, many of these devices have shortcomings. For example, sutures and surgical staples involve inflicting additional trauma to the wound surface since the needle or staple must pass through the tissue on the edges of the wound. Sutures and staples can also cause increased tension at the site, which will result in increased scarring. Further, when sutures and staples are used, the body treats them as foreign objects. This causes the body to increase its rate of reepithelialization at the wound site. The greater the rate of reepithelialization, the greater amount of scar tissue produced. Finally, sutures or surgical staples often require removal in a second procedure, resulting in additional inconveniences and potential discomfort to the patient.
Surgical strips, on the other hand, are typically used on superficial wounds due to their poor tensile strength. The low holding power of surgical strips causes the strips to prematurely fall off and the wound to open, particularly when in the presence of moisture. All of these examples hold true for wounds occurring in human and veterinary patients.
For these reasons, it has become more common for medical personnel to apply adhesives directly to a wound. For example, 1-butyl cyanoacrylate, commonly sold under the names Indermil™, Histacryl Blue™, and Vetbond™ have been used to aid in the closure of wounds. After the wound has reached homeostasis and the wound edges approximated, these materials are applied directly to the wound, permitting the wound to heal over time without the use of sutures, staples, and skin tapes. However, the use of 1-butyl cyanoacrylate has been thus far fairly limited. Due to the brittleness of the 1-butyl cyanoacrylate, the material has had problems flexing with the movement of the body. This led to the use of 1-butyl cyanoacrylate material in only short, low-tension wounds. When applied properly, 1-butyl cyanoacrylate has the potential for much more than what it is presently used for. Butyls are cheaper, easier, and faster to use than octyl cyanoacrylates.
Another type of material that is used in the medical field is 2-octyl cyanoacrylate, which is sold under the commercial name Dermabond™ and Nexaband™. 2-octyl cyanoacrylate is a type of glue that can be used on any area of the body for wounds of varying lengths and sizes. Currently, the recommended and approved technique for applying 2-octyl cyanoacrylate to a wound is by applying multiple layers of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate over the top of the wound. U.S. Pat. No. 6,479,725 to Brothers describes a technique for dressing high-tension wounds using octyl cyanoacrylate. However, this technique has problems; the tensile strength of the layers is higher than the surrounding skin. This causes dehiscence of the wound at either edge of the dressing, thus creating another wound or wounds needing repair. The patient experiences additional inconveniences and discomfort because the wound has to be treated again. If the dehiscence happens more than 24 hours after an injury, all of the patient's wounds will have to be sutured due to the increased risk of infection.
The present invention improves on current techniques by limiting the layers necessary, and thereby decreasing the tensile strength. By decreasing the tensile strength, a tensile strength is achieved that is closer to skin's own strength and avoiding dehiscence. The present invention discloses a new dressing having a much lower tensile strength that is very close to the actual strength of human skin and animal hide. By creating new techniques that utilize fewer layers, less adhesive material is used, resulting in cost savings. Instead of using one vial for every four inches, one vial may be used for 5 to 6 inches.
1-butyl cyanoacrylates have also been polymerized for the use of wound closure inside the body. The development of oxyalkene, alkylene carbonate, alkyl ester and alkyl cyanoacrylate, among others, have facilitated this. The same principles of application techniques are applicable to internal and external use in both humans and animal patients. This opens the doors for many different advances in medical care.